#PowerOfOurVote Hispanic Heritage Month of Action campaign to deliver record Latino turnout
for 2014 Midterm Elections.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sept. 15, 2014 – Today, more than 50 partners are launching an online
voter registration campaign in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. Our collective voice will
ensure elected officials no longer ignore us or the issues that impact the Latino community.
The campaign kick-off urges Latinos to register to vote and then take their families, neighbors,
and friends to the ballot box on Election Day, November 4. Only by exercising the power of their
vote, can the Latino community influence real policy changes.
The campaign will launch a national “Hispanic Heritage Month of Action” and will have three
main voter registration pushes: today (September 15), September 23 (National Voter
Registration Day), and October 15 (the last day of Hispanic Heritage Month). The initiative is
the first of its kind to mobilize Latinos during Hispanic Heritage Month and brings together
partners across all industries to put the needs of the Latino community above individual politics.
Hispanic Heritage Month of Action relies heavily on digital and social media assets, along with
ground components in key states, including outreach to young Latinos who have reached voting
age. The initiative is led online by Voto Latino, on the ground by Mi Familia Vota in key Latino
states, and nationally with partners, including the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, U.S.
Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, ImpreMedia, Entravision, Liberman Broadcasting,
Cosmo Latina, Being Latino, Alliance for Citizenship, Latino Victory Project and others.*
Voto Latino Chairwoman Rosario Dawson, Voto Latino Artist Coalition co-Chairs America
Ferrera and Wilmer Valderrama, and Latino Victory Project co-founder Eva Longoria are also
lending their voices to the campaign, which runs through October 15, the last day of Hispanic
Heritage Month.
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“We are calling American Latinos to rise above our political differences and to unite as a
community this November,” said María Teresa Kumar, President and CEO, Voto Latino. “Today
and for the next month, we will show that Latinos stand tall because we have pride in our
culture, and we recognize the power of our vote.”
Ben Monterroso, Executive Director, Mi Familia Vota, said the Latino community will not remain
silent after the political stalemate in Washington over immigration reform, because, “Latinos
understand that the only real way to impact our future is with a strong showing of our voting
power. We began the immigration debate with our record turnout in the 2012 election, and we
will continue fighting for our community and for immigration reform by voting.”
“Pride in our Latino culture includes pride in our Nation. As Americans, we are proud to exercise
our right to vote and elect officials who reflect the values of our communities. We stand with our
partners to mobilize our communities, register our family and friends, and ensure a path to
reach the polls on Election Day,” said Cristóbal Alex, President of the Latino Victory Project.
“Exercising our right to vote builds power in the Latino community so that the faces and voices
of Latinos are reflected at every level of government and in the policies that drive our country
forward.”
More than 7.8 million Latinos are expected to vote this November, up from 6.6 million Latinos
who voted in the last midterm election in 2010, according to projections by National Association
of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO). The record Latino voter turnout in 2012
propelled immigration to the top of the policy agenda. Latino voters must be heard again to
create the political climate to find solutions for immigration, the economy, and other issues
important to the Latino community.

Since October, more than 52,000 unaccompanied children have been detained crossing our borders. Thousands of desperate children and families have fled the sexual explotation, murders and extortion from gangs in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.

These refugees are exactly that. Refugees. They are fleeing violence, some without even their parents, to escape from the threat of death at home. They get to the “land of the free” and are met with this:

Today, a bipartisan group of Senators just released their principles for an immigration reform plan to create a roadmap to citizenship for Americans without papers. [1] And tomorrow, President Obama will outline his vision for immigration reform.

For the first time in years, politicians from BOTH parties are working together on serious immigration reform plans.

Anti-immigrant extremists are in a panic and have begun flooding Congress with messages to try to kill this momentum. We can’t let this loud, anti-immigrant fringe shape the debate.

Please tell your Members of Congress: the time is NOW to create a roadmap to citizenship for all 11 million Americans without papers. Our community demands that they don’t stop until immigration reform is signed into law.

It is critical that we keep the momentum going and remind leaders that our community demands action now.

The Senate principles include a roadmap to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. without papers – this core element would protect this community from deportation and lead to full equality.

The fight is far from over. It’s up to us to keep fighting for every family, pushing for an end to the excessive and senseless enforcement practices and making sure that this roadmap to citizenship is clear, direct, and straightforward. Any proposal that makes citizenship nearly impossible or requires waiting in a generations-long line will be a non-starter.

Please tell Congress: the time for a straightforward roadmap to citizenship is now — and we demand that you deliver.

Following is originally from an email by Making Change WalMart Organization.

On Black Friday, you stood with Walmart workers as they went on strike and took bold action to fight against Walmart’s attempts to silence them.

It looks like we have Walmart’s attention!

Last week the company announced that it will provide the opportunity for its workers who want to work full-time to do so and will make schedules more transparent. Inconsistent scheduling and not giving workers the hours they need to get by have placed a huge burden on tens-of-thousands of Walmart workers nationwide. If done right, Walmart’s pledge could have a positive impact on many lives and set an example for other employers.

“I’m so happy and proud our hard work and action has paid off,” said Cindy Murray, a leader of the worker-led Organization United for Respect at Walmart (OUR Walmart). “We won these gains at my store and now we’re winning them across the country.”

This announcement comes as a huge victory in the lives of workers. These changes have been at the heart of OUR Walmart members’ calls since its creation and come on the heels of the largest nationwide strike Walmart had ever seen. Walmart’s response shows that together, we’re doing what many said was impossible – we are changing Walmart!

We hope that you will stand with us as we hold Walmart to this new commitment and continue to call for much needed changes in how the company treats workers throughout its supply chain.

Last night, Republicans and Democrats in the House of Representatives joined the Senate in passing the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. That means middle-class families won’t see an increase in their income tax rates. We’ve avoided the fiscal cliff.

President Obama will sign the legislation soon. Last night, he described the agreement as, “one step in the broader effort to strengthen our economy and broaden opportunity for everybody.

Watch this video that President Obama recorded about the “fiscal cliff” agreement: http://OFA.BO/UpngYM